View of early Rome from west side of the Tiber River

Painting

showing

the

Cloaca

Maxima

Cloaca maxima -- “the big sewer” draining Forum

Ponte rotto (broken bridge) - early bridge over Tiber

ROMAN RELIGION

NUMINA (singular = Numen)

origin of term “numinous”

divine powers in natural and household places

sacralization of nature and daily life

Janus: god of the doorway

Vesta: goddess of the hearth

Penates: guardians of the storeroom

Ceres: goddess in charge of grain

Terminus: god of the boundary stones

Household Gods = divi or dii = “little gods”

Lares and Penates:

Lars familaris = ancestral spirit (male)

Lararium:

shrine in home to household gods

Genius: creative force of an

individual male person

Juno: female version of male Genius

Statue of

Penates

With

cornucopia

and

dish

Dancing

penates

Temple

of Vesta

in

Roman

Forum

Temple Gods:

Roman adaptations of Greek gods

Jupiter, Juno, Minerva: worshipped on Capitoline Hill

Vesta:

household gods of city of Rome

Temple of Vesta in Forum

Venus, Mars:

gods with special relationship to founding legends

ROMAN FAMILY

PATERFAMILIAS:

oldest male with extensive powers over all others

PATRIA POTESTAS:

power or authority of the father over family

GENS (sing.), GENTES (plural) = people, group of families

refers to kinship group, common ancestor of patricians

NAMES: Personal Gens Family

Example: Gaius Julius Caesar

Women: no personal name;

named for Gens (eg Julia Secunda)

Ancient Rome: three forms of government evolve

Regal Rome: King = rex, regis

Romulus as first King 753-4 BC

Tarquin Kings as corrupt monarchs

Republican Rome 510 BC

res publica = public matter

reclaimed from King

Brutus as founder; Lucretia as symbol of virtue

see Livy Book I [Friday section]

Imperial Rome from Caesar (d. 44 BC) and Augustus

Regal Rome: 753 -509 BC

ROMULUS as first King (Rex)

founder of Army and Senate (acc to legend)

DEATH OF ROMULUS:

ascends into Heaven from CAMPUS MARTIUS,

defied as the god QUIRINUS, worshipped on Quirinal Hill

NUMA: second Roman King,

founder of religion, fixes calendar

TARQUIN KINGS: last Roman Kings, overthrown by

Brutus, founder of the Republic

STATE POWERS

IMPERIUM = power to rule

held by Kings, Consuls, Generals

IMPERATOR: title of conquering general in Roman Army

FASCES = rods & axe wrapped with cords

symbol of power to punish & execute

carried by LICTORS in front of CONSULS

ROMAN FASCES

LINCOLN MEMORIAL WITH FASCES

SYMBOL OF REPUBLIC

ROMAN REPUBLIC: FOUNDING LEGEND

RAPE OF LUCRETIA, wife of COLLATINUS, Roman Army officer, by

SEXTUS TARQUINIUS, son of the Tarquin King; she commits suicide

LUCIUS JUNIUS BRUTUS avenges her death by overthrowing King

Motto of Republic: “There shall be no Kings in Rome.”

Two Consuls: symbol of divided authority

share governing power under Republic

Brutus as one of two Consuls

BOTTICELLI RAPE OF LUCRETIA 15TH c

Botticelli

Rape of

Lucretia

left panel

Lucretia’s

suicide

right panel

Botticelli

Brutus leads revolt against Tarquin Kings

Botticelli central panel

MORALITY as key to Roman approach to life:

Moral purpose to the founding of republic:

defense of domestic virtue of women (Lucretia)

by military & political virtue of men (Brutus)

Roman virtues: PIETAS = loyalty to family, state

GRAVITAS = seriousness of purpose & demeanor

VIRTUS = manliness, military ability (root VIR = man)

MORES MAIORUM = customs of ancestors (or elders)

rules of how to live

ROMAN REPUBLIC (RES PUBLICA)

509 BC traditional founding date

LUCIUS JUNIUS BRUTUS (see Livy Bk 1)

GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE:

SPQR = The Senate & the People

MAGISTRATES:

CONSULS (two) CENSORS (census, morality)

SENATE

PEOPLE: ASSEMBLIES, TRIBUNES

Roman Senate (artist’s reconstruction)

SPQR: SENATUS POPULUQUE ROMANUS

“The Senate and the People of Rome

SENATE: represents most powerful PATRICIAN families

PLEBIANS: free Roman citizens of lower social status

gradually gain some voice during Republic

STRUGGLE OF THE ORDERS:

PLEBIANS vs PATRICIANS 5th-3rd C BCE

449 BC LAW OF THE TWELVE TABLES

posted on 12 bronze tablets in Forum;

laws no longer secret of priests & patricians

SECESSION as political tactic by plebians

494 1st SECESSION of plebs to MONS SACRA

TRIBUNES OF THE PEOPLE: ten tribunes elected annually

have right to veto legislation of magistrates or Senate

367 one of two Consuls must be plebian

287 AVENTINE SECESSION

plebians secede, move to Aventine hill

PLEBISCITA = plebs legislation binding on all citizens

source of modern PLEBISCITE

EXPANSION OF ROMAN REPUBLIC: ITALY (see Rome Atlas)

509-499 military struggle with surrounding tribes in Latium

LATIN LEAGUE: alliance of Roman and Latin armies

ETRUSCANS: 405-396 struggle over VEII, conquered 396 BC

LATIN WAR 340-48: against tribes of Volsci and Campania

SAMNITE WAR 327-290

295 battle against Samnites, Etruscans, Umbrians, Gauls;

wins central Italy, but not Po Valley = Cisalpine Gaul

CARTHAGE naval power (modern Tunisia)

FIRST PUNIC WAR 264-241

Messina & Sicily taken by first Roman fleet

expansion beyond the peninsula

SECOND PUNIC WAR begins with

218 HANNIBAL’s invasion of Italy, across Pyrenees and Alps

Hannibal

crossing

the Alps

modern

painting

SECOND PUNIC WAR 218-201 war in Italy

216 BATTLE OF CANNAE defeat of Roman army

in central Italy, near disaster for Rome

SCIPIO AFRICANUS invaded Africa in 204,

defeated Hannibal at Zama in 202

hero of Petrarch’s epic Africa in 14th C.

PUNIC WARS: ROME VERSUS CARTHAGE

Punic Wars: Rome vs Carthage

THIRD PUNIC WAR 150-146

final destruction of Carthage by Scipio Africanus the Younger

EFFECTS OF PUNIC WARS

TERRITORIAL ACQUISITIONS: Victory over Carthage includes

SPAIN organized as two provinces in 197 BC

CISALPINE GAUL (Po Valley in northern Italy) Province in 81 BC

MACEDONIA & GREECE conquered after Carthage

Movie set in Punic Wars: Cabiria 1914 silent film, Italian

EXPANSION OF ROME DURING PUNIC WARS

Roman expansion after Punic Wars

REPUBLICAN POLITICAL CONFLICTS & CIVIL WAR

POPULARES (poorer Roman citizens)

GRACCHI BROTHERS program of land reform

TIBERIUS GRACCHUS: elected TRIBUNE in 133 BC

plan to distributed state land or AGER PUBLICUS

assassinated with 300 supporters

GAIUS GRACCHUS: elected TRIBUNE in 123 BC

colonization program for overseas territories

POPULAR MILITARY LEADERS

GAIUS MARIUS: military leader in Africa and against Germans

CONSUL for 5 terms

91-89 BC SOCIAL WAR against allies (socii)

result is citizenship for all Italians

L. CORNELIUS SULLA: military leader in Social War, rival of Marius

FIRST CIVIL WAR: Marius versus Sulla (victor)

DICTATOR: 82-79 reforms

CURSUS HONORUM as fixed succession of offices

Senate doubled from 300-600 members

POMPEY THE GREAT: military leader 1st C BC

allies with OPTIMATES (wealthy) against POPULARES

JULIUS CAESAR: rises as military leader of Populares

leads army into Italy by crossing of the Rubicon

FIRST TRIUMVIRATE: 60 BC Pompey, Crassus and Caesar

44BC assassination of Caesar by in Theater of Pompey

by MARCUS JUNIUS BRUTUS, CASSIUS and other Senators

descent from first Brutus, 509BC

defender of role of Senate and Republic